Irish Examiner view: Hunger in our land of plenty

People queuing for food vouchers at the Capuchin Day Centre, Bow St, Dublin. Picture: Conor O'Mearain/Collins Photos

The last time we commented on the return of food banks as a daily feature of life in Ireland, it was to contrast the upbeat promises of the National Development Plan with the cost difficulties being faced by students at University College Cork (UCC).

UCC had been forced to reopen its food bank for struggling young people in a move it described as “disheartening”. That was last October, when the biggest challenges we were facing were Covid and disruptions to the supply chain. Since, inflation has let rip and soaring fuel costs have simultaneously reduced the disposable income of many people and increased the price of food. With the terrible crisis in Ukraine, rightly known as the breadbasket of Europe, and the dislocation of the energy supplies controlled by Russia, this pressure is unlikely to reduce soon.

Therefore, it is demoralising to learn that the escalating cost of living has led to a “surge” of people turning to food banks for assistance. According to Kevin Cowley of the Capuchin Day Centre, they are drawn from a broader cross-section of society than ever before. Ever-expanding charitable support is a sign of a society in increasing economic distress. People, as Br Cowley says, are struggling to make ends meet.

Shaming sub-text

If the first responsibility of a government is to keep borders secure and its second is to keep the lights on and the water drinkable, the third surely is to ensure that people do not starve. Stories of elderly people going to bed early to reduce fuel bills and families turning up for food assistance unannounced because they do not have phone credit to make an appointment provide a shaming sub-text for a country that prides itself on neighbourliness and compassion.

Less than a month after the Government announced a €300m subsidy package — criticised for being too little, too late, at the time — there is every indication that this level of help will need to be revisited. And quickly, before the price shocks from war in Eastern Europe take an additional toll on the more vulnerable members of society.